View allAll Photos Tagged IntimatePortrait
A novice monk sitting on one of the stupas at Plaosan Lor Temple on the island of Java. We think of modern day Indonesia as being predominantly Muslim, but the country has actually gone through a succession of religions, each one layered on top of the others (religious syncretism). First came Hinduism, followed by Buddhism, then Islam and later Christianity. Today almost 90% of Indonesians are Muslim, making Indonesia the country with the largest Muslim population in the world.
They both have toothless grins, but the love and joy between this grandmother and her granddaughter are palpable.
Shots from my portrait workshop
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The complete shooting on my Instagram and Facebook profiles.
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Photo: @giovanni_contarelli
©2025 All Right Reserved Giovanni Contarelli
Follow me on Flickr and
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In the soft glow of a private restroom, where muted marble walls absorb every secret, Weszu caught a single glance that feels like a stolen confession.
She tilts toward the mirror, phone raised, long dark hair falling forward like a velvet curtain. A black ribbed top dips low, revealing a playful Doraemon tattoo just above a golden butterfly pendant that rests perfectly at the curve. The fringed black mini skirt brushes her thighs, adding a hint of wild texture. Cool light kisses her pale skin, carving gentle shadows that deepen her subtle smile and the calm intensity in her eyes—creating an atmosphere of effortless confidence, tender yet untamed.
© 2019 Weszu – All Rights Reserved
Contact: weszu@globaltakedown-center.com
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An intimate portrait of an elderly Indonesian man. In the carved lines of his face lives the poetry of time - each wrinkle a verse, each shadow a memory. Together they tell the unspoken stories of his life.
He may not be Humphrey Bogart, but his smoky silhouette has a kind of poignant cinematic feel to it that conjures up images of yesteryear.
A trio of Suri women share a floral motif for their headdress. This scene was backlit so a strobe and softbox was used to illuminate the subjects. The power of flash photography is the ability to control ambient light independently from the light on the subject. I set a high shutter speed to darken the background while the strobe lit up the three girls to achieve maximum subject separation. You won't find many images shot with flash in Ethiopia, or very many travel images shot this way for that matter, as shooting with a flash and softbox is an additional hassle factor and requires another dimension of photography skill and understanding of lighting patterns.
This Burmese man's name is Abalu and he is 80 years old. From his coughing and wheezing I can surmise that he has been a smoker for many many years, and likely has emphysema. He chain smoked his way through the photo shoot interrupted only by his fits of coughing and sputtering. His grizzled visage however, made for a really awesome monochrome portrait.
Class is in session at a primary school near a Suri village. While public education is technically free in Ethiopia, schools in rural areas are often underfunded and understaffed, and more often than not located far from the childrens' villages. To make matters worse, the mobile lifestyle of many pastoralist tribes like the Suri often means that even if they receive an education, it is often rudimentary and fragmented. What this means is that in practice most tribal children are not enrolled in school at all.
Observing this macaque in a moment of quiet contemplation, I was struck by the profound humanity visible in its upward gaze. There's something deeply moving about the way these intelligent primates pause and seem to reflect on their world, looking skyward as if searching for answers or simply lost in thought.
I chose dramatic black and white lighting to emphasize the sculptural beauty of this remarkable face and to create an intimate connection with the viewer. The low-key approach strips away distractions, focusing entirely on the emotion and intelligence visible in those soulful eyes and gentle expression.
What captivated me was the universal quality of this moment - that sense of wonder or contemplation that transcends species barriers. This macaque's upward gaze reminded me of our own human tendency to look to the heavens when we're pondering life's mysteries or simply appreciating a beautiful moment.
My intention was to capture more than just a wildlife photograph, but rather a portrait that reveals the emotional depth and individual personality of this remarkable creature, hoping to inspire greater appreciation for the complex inner lives of our primate relatives.
A Kazakh eagle hunter and his bird. The close bond between hunter and eagle is palpable, and the birds appear to reciprocate the emotion. Although eagles can live for thirty years, the hunters keep each one for only about ten years, then release it to live out its last years in the wild. The bird is taken far away, and the hunter sometimes has to hide, or wait for darkness, to keep it from following him home. An old Kazakh hunter who recently released his bird was quoted as saying "I think about what that eagle is doing; if she’s safe, and whether she can find food and make a nest. Have her hunts been successful? Sometimes I dream about these things.”
A veil of smoke drifts into a shaft of light as a man pauses mid-thought, his gaze lost in the distance. The quiet weight of time, memory, and reflection hangs in the air, slowly dissipating like the vapor around him.
Shots from my portrait workshop
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The complete shooting on my Instagram and Facebook profiles.
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Photo: @giovanni_contarelli
©2025 All Right Reserved Giovanni Contarelli
Follow me on Flickr and
www.instagram.com/giovanni_contarelli/
www.facebook.com/giovanni.contarelli/
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A Mongolian Kazakh eagle huntress poses with her bird. Etched on her face is fierce determination, pride, and an indomitable spirit borne out of generations of struggling with the harsh elements of nature. While the tradition of eagle hunting was traditionally passed on from father to son, the dearth of practitioners and the lack of interest in the sport from the younger generation has started to change attitudes, and some girls are now being taught the tradition.
It's always a bit of a gamble asking a random person to pose for you, as you never know what you're going to get and the language barrier adds an extra layer of challenge. Fortunately this village girl was a natural model, and she even offered me this coy expression as she posed between two sheets of cloth drying in the sun at a fabric dyeing village outside of Dhaka.
Portrait of an elderly Balinese man with a red hibiscus flower. While it may seem strange to western eyes, it is not uncommon to see Balinese men tuck a flower (usually a frangipani) behind their ear. It is seen as a form of masculinity and often done after a prayer to the gods.
A Wayang (shadow puppet) craftsman shows his grandson how to decorate a puppet, while the young boy pays rapt attention to the lesson. The art of Wayang has been designated by UNESCO as a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity." The craftsmen are called "Empul Wayang" and they make the puppets out of leather or wood.
The Wayang is deeply rooted in Javanese, Hindu, and Buddhist worldviews, and it is not merely entertainment but a spiritual and moral performance. The screen represents the veil between the seen and unseen worlds. The puppets are manifestations of cosmic forces, and the shadows on the screen represent human perception. The viewer sees only shadows, not the actual puppets - a reminder that life itself is a shadow play, a transient illusion of a deeper reality.
A somewhat jarring image of a Suri mother and baby. Guns are fairly ubiquitous among the pastoralist tribes in Ethiopia, as they need to protect their cattle from predators and other tribes who may try to steal them. The all time favorite is the AK-47 - cheap, easy to operate and maintain, and dependable in combat. It is mostly the men who carry the weapons around but for this image we asked this mother to carry a gun to highlight the stark contrast of the scene: the cold hard steel of the gun vs the soft warm heart of the mother; the power to nurture vs the power to harm; the power to give life vs the power to take it away; war and peace; love vs violence; new life vs death. Notice the ear plates and the scarification on the right arm - all characteristic of the Suri tribe.
A Suri woman with a flower headdress and white clay facial painting. The Suri people use flowers, leaves, grasses, and other vegetation to adorn their bodies on a regular basis. There are no rules or traditional patterns to follow, and creativity and personal artistry is the order of the day. The adornment serves multiple functions, as part of their social and tribal identity, as aesthetic self expression, and to announce their attractiveness and desirability to the opposite gender. During ceremonies or special occasions, the adornment becomes even more elaborate.
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Model: Pamela
Photo: @giovanni_contarelli
©2025 All Right Reserved Giovanni Contarelli
Follow me on Flickr and
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Faces young and old are the essence of a culture, and in the people's faces are written their life story. This woman's deeply tanned and wrinkled face tells of decades of working under the scorching sun. Right outside her hut was a rice drying yard where her family members were toiling in the midday sun, and where I'm sure she herself spent many years of her life doing the same. Her name, by the way, is Rabaya Begem, and she is 88 years old, but still young enough to have that mischievous twinkle in her eyes when I took her portrait.
Cambodian children are some of the happiest kids on earth. What they may lack in material wealth, they more than make up for in their rich cultural traditions, strong family ties, and a tight community bond that gives each person a sense of belonging, identity, and shared purpose.
In north Vietnam's Ninh Binh Province is a famous set of Buddhist temple complex set against a stunning karst mountain landscape. This place has been a pilgrimage site for centuries since it was founded by two Buddhist monks in 1428. There you may run into 93 year old Chu Van Nhan. His wizened face and white beard rather reminds me of a character from one of those Shaolin Kung Fu movies!
An Indian boy made up to look like the god Shiva. In the Hindu pantheon of gods, Shiva is the god of destruction, and is often portrayed with blue skin. Shiva is known as The Destroyer within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity which also includes Brahma and Vishnu. If only I was a student of comparative religion. The conceptual similarities between faiths is beyond fascinating.
Portraits of senior Balinese men and women. The frangipani flower is emblematic of Bali and is a symbol of love, purity, and commitment. It is often worn tucked behind an ear by both men and women.
It may be a different culture, time, and place, but some scenes are universal. Here a sister feeds her little brother at the dinner table while grandparents listen to the radio in the kitchen.
He is lost in the smoke and pages, where mind and imagination soars far above reality, and where time bends to memory's will.
An intimate portrait of a silver haired Indonesian man, hands crossed over his chest in a gesture of strength, wisdom and stability. The timeless beauty of human symmetry.
I came across this adorable Hmong toddler in a traditional outfit at a small village in Laos. She was just irresistibly photogenic. The Hmong people are distinct from the Lao people, with their own language, culture, and traditions. They are divided into various tribes based on the color and details of their dress. This little girl is probably a Flower Hmong based on her colorful dress. The Hmongs originated from China but have spread into various parts of SE Asia due to centuries of persecution from the Chinese. As a direct result of the Vietnam war, when some of the Hmongs fought on the side of the US, there are now large Hmong communities in California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
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Model: Alice
Photo: @giovanni_contarelli
©2025 All Right Reserved Giovanni Contarelli
Follow me on Flickr and
www.instagram.com/giovanni_contarelli/
www.facebook.com/giovanni.contarelli/
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